A Shoulder to Cry On
by tivamcabby5
Summary: A possible three-shot based on the promo for "Shiva". Tony helps Ziva cope with the tragic events of that fateful Friday night, leading to a conversation that will change their lives forever. Rated T to be safe. Basically all Tiva. Spoilers for "Shabbat Shalom". Chapter 2 up now!
1. Chapter 1

**A Shoulder to Cry On**

**I haven't written in such a long time, but after seeing the 30 second promo for "Shiva", I had to do a Tiva fic. This will probably be a two-shot, maybe more. But don't expect a multi-chapter story, as I've learned that I don't have time for that.**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to the beautiful minds of the creators and writers of NCIS. If I had the rights to Tony and Ziva, they would have gotten together in season 3 and they'd be married with children by now.**

The horrific events that had occurred just one day earlier still didn't seem real. Eli was dead. The director's wife, Jackie, was dead. Their children were motherless and Vance was a widower. Tony watched anxiously as he saw Ziva starting to slip away before his eyes. She hadn't spoken since Friday night, and it was Saturday evening now.

Tony tried to reach out to her; as a friend, not as a coworker. Every time he asked what he could do, he was met by a blank stare and a shake of the head. His heart ached for his partner. He wanted his old Ziva back; the one that laughed at him and made him fall in love with her.

Finally, she spoke. They had obviously stayed at the office all of Saturday, trying to find who had done such a horrible thing. Ziva had been told to go home, but she wouldn't. She couldn't trust herself to be alone.

Tony was sitting at his desk, reading over papers, looking for any sort of lead. All of a sudden he looked up and saw Ziva leaning on the edge of his desk next to him. On any normal day he would have made some juvenile remark, but today was not a normal day. Things wouldn't be normal for a while.

"Hey," he whispered, turning his chair slightly to see her better.

She waited a minute before responding. "Can you take me to the synagogue?" She looked exhausted. She didn't have any make up on (which Tony didn't mind) and her hair was a mess of curls. Tony didn't need an explanation. He grabbed his keys and coat and they walked silently to the elevator.

Neither of them spoke at all as the drove the three or so miles to the synagogue. Tony pulled into a parking space and turned off the car. Ziva didn't move. She just sat there staring out of the front window.

"You want me to come in with you?" Tony asked.

Ziva shrugged slightly. "You can if you want to." She unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Before shutting the door she looked back at Tony. "I will not take long," she said, gently closing the door and walking away.

Tony turned the car back on to keep the heat going. He glanced at the clock; 10:34 at night. He looked out the window at the synagogue for several minutes. _DiNozzo, you idiot,_ he thought. _The woman you love is in there grieving and she needs you._ He quickly turned off the car and practically ran into the building.

The door was open but no one was there except for him and Ziva. She had her back to him. She was standing about three rows from the front, next to a bench but not quite touching it. She turned around when she heard his footsteps.

"Sympathy is the last thing I want right now," she told him.

"What do you need?" he asked, continuing to walk towards her.

"Revenge," she said simply.

Tony nodded. Whatever she needed, he would help her get it. "Okay," he said.

She nodded her thanks and kept standing there. He wondered what she would do next. Then, she hung her head slightly and started to cry. Tony closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her just before her tears became full-body sobs. She held onto his shirt for dear life, her tears streaming down her face and onto his chest. "Shhh, Zi," he whispered, rocking her slightly. "I'm here."

Eventually her tears stopped, but they stood there for several more minutes. "Tomorrow," she whispered.

He knew what she meant. Revenge could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, she needed a hot meal and a hot shower and someone to talk to. Tomorrow, they, together, would find out who had killed her father.

**A/N: What do you think? Should I continue? If I get enough positive feedback, the next chapter will be at Tony's apartment. :)**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Shoulder to Cry On**

**I'm back! Sorry it took until now to get this posted. I am a very busy junior in high school and midterms are soon.**

**Unfortunately, I won't be able to get the third and final chapter posted until after "Shiva" airs tonight, but I will post it as soon as possible, and it will likely not follow the episode (unless we have some super duper Tiva moments tonight).**

**But has anyone seen the extended preview of the scene in the synagogue? Tony even asks Ziva if she needs "a shoulder to cry on". Maybe it's a sign :). Anyways, enjoy and please remember to review!**

Tony wasn't about to let his grieving partner be alone that night. Not while she was still so fragile and unpredictable. Ziva knew this, so she didn't bother protesting when they arrived at his apartment complex and not hers.

"Well, this is home," Tony said after he opened his door and held his arm out, inviting her in first.

Ziva stepped through the threshold apprehensively. She wasn't sure what would happen tonight, but she knew Tony would be a complete gentlemen. Why was she so nervous?

Tony closed and locked the door behind them and helped Ziva take her coat off. He grabbed a hanger and hung it in the closet next to the door. "Um…you want something to eat?" he asked, walking past her into the kitchen. "I know it's late, but I can reheat some pizza if you'd like."

She shook her head before realizing Tony couldn't actually see her. "No…no, thank you. I think I just need to sleep."

"Okay," Tony agreed, returning from the kitchen empty-handed. "Here." He led her to his bedroom. "You can have the bed, I'll take the couch."

She was too tired to argue.

"I just changed the sheets. You need pajamas? I'll grab some sweatpants for you." He was rambling. He was nervous too.

She sat on the edge of the bed and smiled a thank you when he handed her a pair of old gray sweatpants and a Baltimore PD Softball League t-shirt.

"I'll umm…I'll be out here if you need anything," he said, motioning to the living room. "Good night, Ziva."

"Good night, Tony," she replied softly. She stood and kissed him gently on the cheek.

When she pulled back she saw the sheepish grin on his face. "Um, uh…bye," he stammered before slowly closing the door.

Ziva changed into the sweats and t-shirt, shut of the light, and crawled into Tony's tiny bed, hoping she could sleep soundly.

Several hours later, Tony was lying on his couch channel-surfing. He had tried – and failed – numerous times to fall asleep, but all he could think about were Eli, Jackie, and that _kiss_.

He fell back asleep during a Seinfeld marathon, but was abruptly awakened by the sound of a blood-curdling scream.

He shot up and grabbed his gun off of the coffee table. He ran the few short steps to his bedroom and opened the door to see his partner thrashing wildly in the midst of a nightmare.

He set his weapon on the dresser and ran to her side. "No, Abba, no, no!" she yelled.

Tony quickly sat on the bed next to her and grabbed her wrists so she wouldn't hurt herself – or him. "Ziva!" he said loudly. "Zi, it's me! It's Tony! Wake up!"

With three more "no!"s and another "wake up!" or two, Ziva's eyes flew open to meet Tony's as she sat up. She looked at him in bewilderment for a moment, and then it dawned on her where she was – and why she was there. Tony stared back, waiting for her to say something. "He's dead, isn't he?" Ziva asked. "They're dead." Tony nodded slowly, moving his hands from her wrists to the sides of her arms.

"I'm so sorry, Ziva," he whispered, pulling her closely as she started sobbing. There were no tears; she'd run out. Her body just heaved and rocked with each breath. Tony held her tightly. She was sweating profusely, which explained why she had ditched the t-shirt and was now only in her tank top and his sweatpants. They fell back onto his bed and stayed their silently for quite some time. Ziva's sobs calmed but she still held onto Tony.

"Tony," she finally said.

"Yeah?"

"My family. They're all gone."

Tony knew she meant her family by blood, but he needed to make something known to her. "Ziva, no one can replace your parents or siblings. But," he said, stroking her hair softly, "you have me. You have us – Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky. You will never be alone. I promise."

He felt her nod. "I know. Thank you."

It was several more minutes before either of them spoke again.

"Tony?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can you sleep in here tonight?"

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, pulling the covers over his legs.

**A/N: Sorry if Ziva is a little OOC with all of the crying, but I think she'll be like that tonight in "Shiva". **

**One chapter left! Please review!**


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